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TexansTalk Top 10: 2014 Draft

TexansSeminole

TexansSeminole

Hall of Fame
I figure people can post their top 10 draft prospects and we can get a consensus, as well as see people rise and drop over the course of the process.

My top 10 right now:

1. Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M
2. Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA
3. Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville
4. Louis Nix, NT, Notre Dame
5. Jadeveon Clowney, DE/OLB, South Carolina
6. Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
7. Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan
8. Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson
9. Timmy Jernigan, DT, Florida State
10. Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M

It may come as a surprise that I have Barr rated more highly than Clowney, but I really have been turned off by the way Clowney has approached this season. He came in out of shape, which was clear in the 1st game of the season. He gets frustrated with the way teams double him, or run away from him. He's verbally complained about it, and he takes plays off because of it. This is the same kind of thing that happened to Mario Williams when he was at NC State. He got doubled constantly and people almost always ran away from him. Mario didn't ever complain about it and continued to play hard. There was a knock on him about taking plays off in college, but what I saw when he was at NC State was a guy playing hard all the time. Clowney has come off as a guy that isn't committed to playing hard.

I also have two WRs in the top 10, which I didn't expect when I started making my top 10, but that's how it worked out.

Post your current top 10.
 
1. Johnny Manziel,QB Texas A&M
2. Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M
3. Jadevon Clowney, DE/OLB, South Carolina
4. Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville
5. Cyrus Kouandjio, OT, Alabama
6. Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
7. Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson
8. Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
9. Trent Murphy, OLB, Stanford
10. Cameron Erving, OT, Florida State


Personally at this point I am not sold on Bridgewater and Mariota are Top 10. However bad teams are forced in to taking a QB regardless if it could be a bad decision. Right now I see Geno Smith as a better QB coming out of college than I do Bridgewater. Mariota reminds me of Seneca Wallace. IMHO, today, I would prefer Tajh Boyd or AJ McCarron over Bridgewater and Mariota.

Barr is missing, I have watched 3 high profile games, Barr loses leverage and has difficulty turning the corner. He was recently a RB converted to OLB as result he looks weak on the defense side of the ball. Barr is easily blocked and can't shed blocks.

I watched a Nix game and he was non factor, they say is injured and needs surgery, if that is the case he's off the Rd 1 board. Definitely out of the top 10.
 
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On talent alone.....

1. Jadeveon Clowney - DE, South Carolina
- I'm not a big fan of Clowney, but he's obviously the most physically gifted player in the draft. Whether he has the drive or work ethic to turn that into next level success is unknown.

2. C.J. Mosley - ILB, Alabama
- Most well rounded player in the draft. Has all the physical tools in every area and a great mental understanding of the game. He's better than DeMeco, IMO.

3. Anthony Barr - OLB, UCLA
- Unreal physical gifts. Has the prototypical skill set you look for in a 3-4 OLB.

4. Mike Evans - WR, Texas A&M
- The best offensive player in college football, IMO. Big bodied WR that reminds me a bit of Jimmy Graham. Not a TE though.

5. Jake Matthews - OT, Texas A&M
- The best balance of talent and technical proficiency in this O-Line class.

6. Teddy Bridgewater - QB, Louisville
- Easily the most technically developed QB in this class out of the top group. Better physical tools than other developed guys in the 2nd group like Murray and McCarron.

7. Khalil Mack - OLB, Buffalo
- Great instincts combined with great physical ability. Reminds me of Von Miller.

8. Sammy Watkins - WR, Clemson
- Ridiculous physical skills. Still very raw as a WR, IMO.

9. Louis Nix - DT, Notre Dame
- Very gifted inside player that can play against the run and also rush the passer.

10. Cyrus Kouandijo - OT, Alabama
- Most physically talented O-Lineman in the draft, but is still somewhat raw technically.
 
TexansSeminole said:
He came in out of shape, which was clear in the 1st game of the season.
Click to expand...

Not to dismiss everything you said, but he came into that game recovering from a stomach virus. He's also been dealing with some bone spurs over the course of the season.

And for all your talk of Mario's hard work at NC State, everyone seems to complain that he didn't have a competitor's spirit. Maybe the same thing happens with Clowney who, accused of taking plays off, becomes overly-enthusiastic when playing with Cush and Watt? :thisbig:

I'll post my top 10 later.
 
bhsman said:
Not to dismiss everything you said, but he came into that game recovering from a stomach virus. He's also been dealing with some bone spurs over the course of the season.

And for all your talk of Mario's hard work at NC State, everyone seems to complain that he didn't have a competitor's spirit. Maybe the same thing happens with Clowney who, accused of taking plays off, becomes overly-enthusiastic when playing with Cush and Watt? :thisbig:

I'll post my top 10 later.
Click to expand...

I think that that argument is certainly valid, but did you watch that first game? They were subbing him in and out to give him time to catch his breath. It was sometime in the 3rd quarter that he just was completely spent. The guy looked like he was just done for the game. It wasn't an issue where he was throwing up, or was lightheaded. The issue was that he just couldn't catch his breath at all. On top of that, you've got people questioning his conditioning throughout the season. I love his talent, but there are some red flags with this guy that shouldn't be ignored.

I had the opportunity to watch a lot of college Mario Williams and he was a consistently dominant force in which conditioning was never an issue. People questioned if he was giving it his all every play because he would dominate so thoroughly for a spell, but it wasn't always consistent throughout the entirety of the game.

Clowney is not accused of taking plays off, but taking games off. There is a question of whether or not he really cares about that team all that much, or if he is just concerned with the pay day next year.
 
1. Jake Matthews OT
2. Jadeveon Clowney DE
3. CJ Mosley ILB
4. Anthony Barr OLB
5. Teddy Bridgewater QB
6. Louis Nix NT
7. Trent Murphy DE
8. Mike Evans WR
9. Marcus Mariota QB
10. Kyle Van Noy OLB
 
1. Matthews
2.Clowney
3. Bridgewater
4.Nix, as Texian pointed out he needs surgery , so take him out of the top 10 and put Mosely in at 10.
5. Watkins
6. Erving
7. Barr
8. Mack
9. Kouandjio
10. Lewan

Lots of OT's and pass rushers, Watkins is the best skilled position guy in this draft. Not high on the QB's.
 
steelbtexan said:
1. Matthews
2.Clowney
3. Bridgewater
4.Nix
5. Watkins
6. Erving
7. Barr
8. Mack
9. Kouandjio
10. Lewan

Lots of OT's and pass rushers, Watkins is the best skilled position guy in this draft. Not high on the QB's.
Click to expand...

Hopefully a team like the Browns would be willing to trade up for Manziel/Marriota and the Texans can draft Mack and Scherrf in the 1st.
 
1. Teddy Bridewater, QB
2. Jadeveon Clowney, DE
3. Johnny Manziel, QB
4. Jake Matthews, OT
5. Mike Evans, WR
6. Anthony Barr, DE
7. Taylor Lewan, OT
8. CJ Mosley, LB
9. Cameron Erving, OT
10. Sammy Watkins, WR
 
beerlover said:
1. Teddy Bridewater, QB
2. Jadeveon Clowney, DE
3. Johnny Manziel, QB
4. Jake Matthews, OT
5. Mike Evans, WR
6. Anthony Barr, DE
7. Taylor Lewan, OT
8. CJ Mosley, LB
9. Cameron Erving, OT
10. Sammy Watkins, WR
Click to expand...


I like you're list,so let me ask the question. If evans is there at 5 which is where the texans are drafting, would you take him?
 
steelbtexan said:
Hopefully a team like the Browns would be willing to trade up for Manziel/Marriota and the Texans can draft Mack and Scherrf in the 1st.
Click to expand...

Don't know if it will happen but that's not a bad idea! I really like Mack as an OLB and Scherrf could be a good RT. I just don't think the Browns would give up 2 first round picks to move up a little. Maybe a 1st and a 2nd.
 
Mack is very athletic, lighter version of Mercilus so he looks cat quick against lesser competition so teams will have to wait & grade him out @ the combine but I feel he is outside the top 10 talent, actually like Mosley more as consensus goes.
 
leebigeztx said:
I like you're list,so let me ask the question. If evans is there at 5 which is where the texans are drafting, would you take him?
Click to expand...

If Texans miss out on those first Big Four, I would try & trade down.

If Andre is moved next offseason I wouldn't think twice about taking Evans.
 
1) Matthews
2) Clowney
3) Barr
4) Bridgewater
5) Mosley
6) Manziel
7) Mack
8) Irving
9) Evans
10) Lewan
 
leebigeztx said:
I like you're list,so let me ask the question. If evans is there at 5 which is where the texans are drafting, would you take him?
Click to expand...

What's the grade differential between Evans and Taylor Lewan? I go with BPA within a few grade points. If Lewan is graded a 91 and Evans is a 93, maybe I just take Lewan.

But hey, Evans wouldn't be a bad pick. We don't know for sure about Posey, and Martin is looking more and more like a ST guy that can catch 20 balls a year. Jean is probably a cut next year.
 
All of course depending on where we end up picking in each round ...

1st'ers
LB Anthony Barr
OT Jake Matthews
FS Ha Ha Clinton-Dix

2nd'ers
FS LaMarcus Joyner
LB Shayne Skov
OT Brandon Scherff

3rd'ers
QB A.J. McCarron
OT James Hurst

4+'ers
LB Telvin Smith
OG Anthony Steen
 
It looks like Matthews, Clowney, and Bridgewater are in everyone's top 6 so far. Safe to say that they will most likely all be top 5 picks based on our boards as of right now?

ToroTD said:
All of course depending on where we end up picking in each round ...

1st'ers
LB Anthony Barr
OT Jake Matthews
FS Ha Ha Clinton-Dix

2nd'ers
FS LaMarcus Joyner
LB Shayne Skov
OT Brandon Scherff

3rd'ers
QB A.J. McCarron
OT James Hurst

4+'ers
LB Telvin Smith
OG Anthony Steen
Click to expand...

Let's try to keep this stuff in the threads where they belong. I'd like to keep this thread just to the top 10 so as to not have a huge thread debating the Texans 4th round selection. We've got plenty of those threads.
 
After losing yesterday to the Jags you can probably narrow this down to top 5. Maybe even #1 overall.
 
1. Jadeveon Clowney - DE, South Carolina
2. Anthony Barr - OLB, UCLA
3. Teddy Bridgewater - QB, Louisville
4. Jake Matthews - OT, Texas A&M
5. C.J. Moseley - ILB, Alabama
6. Mike Evans - WR, Texas A&M
7. Cyrus Kouandjio - OT, Alabama
8. Justin Gilbert - CB, Oklahoma St
9. Cameron Erving - OT, Florida St
10. Sammy Watkins - WR, Clemson
 
I notice that I am the only one that has Jernigan in their top 10, has anyone had a chance to watch him play? I think he could play either DT or 3-4 DE. Very quick and does well with his hands, a bit like Watt.
 
I project Jernigan the same way. I think he fits well in either system. My worry with him is that he doesn't stand out against good teams. He does most of his damage against inferior opponents.

Florida St has been so much better in the trenches than everyone they have played this year that it has made it difficult for me to scout him. Lamarcus Joyner and Christian Jones stand out far more to me.
 
bah007 said:
I project Jernigan the same way. I think he fits well in either system. My worry with him is that he doesn't stand out against good teams. He does most of his damage against inferior opponents.

Florida St has been so much better in the trenches than everyone they have played this year that it has made it difficult for me to scout him. Lamarcus Joyner and Christian Jones stand out far more to me.
Click to expand...

Joyner has possible character issues. Something about writing a paper about how he beat a gay kid half to death in high school.

Take it with a grain of salt, but here it is:

http://deadspin.com/jameis-winston-isnt-the-only-problem-here-an-fsu-teac-1467707410

Like the blue-chip defensive secondary leader who wrote his personal essay for an openly gay professor on the time in high school he gleefully commanded a posse to bash a girly fag near to death, caved the queer's face, and ruined his smile.
Click to expand...
 
TexansSeminole said:
Could be any number of players really. They are all blue-chip guys.
Click to expand...

True, but defensive secondary leader? That sounds like Joyner.

It's an internet article and I have no idea how true it is. He's a great player, I'll leave the FO to do their homework and pull the trigger. On a talent basis I'd love to have him.
 
My Top 32:

1. Jadeveon Clowney – DE, South Carolina
2. Anthony Barr – OLB, UCLA
3. Teddy Bridgewater – QB, Louisville
4. Jake Matthews – OT, Texas A&M
5. C.J. Moseley – ILB, Alabama
6. Sammy Watkins – WR, Clemson
7. Khalil Mack – OLB, Buffalo
8. Cameron Erving – OT, Florida St
9. Justin Gilbert – CB, Oklahoma St
10. Cyrus Kouandjio – OT, Alabama
11. Marqise Lee – WR, USC
12. Stephon Tuitt – DE, Notre Dame
13. Mike Evans – WR, Texas A&M
14. Louis Nix – DT, Notre Dame
15. Ifo Ekpre-Olomu – CB, Oregon
16. Zach Mettenberger – QB, LSU
17. Eric Ebron – TE, North Carolina
18. Blake Bortles – QB, UCF
19. Antonio Richardson – OT, Tennessee
20. Darqueze Dennard – CB, Michigan St
21. Ra’Shede Hageman – DT, Minnesota
22. Trent Murphy – DE, Stanford
23. Tim Jernigan – DT, Florida St
24. Taylor Lewan – OT, Michigan
25. HaHa Clinton-Dix – S, Alabama
26. Greg Robinson – OT, Auburn
27. Jordan Matthews – WR, Vanderbilt
28. Bishop Sankey – HB, Washington
29. Jace Amaro – TE, Texas Tech
30. Derek Carr – QB, Fresno St
31. Gabe Jackson – OG, Mississippi St
32. Jason Verrett – CB, TCU
 
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